Needle board for felting looms and the like

ABSTRACT

In a needle felting machine, the needle board is composed of a plurality of strip-like laminae, the width of which determine the thickness of the board, each lamina being provided with a plurality of superficial, transverse grooves which, when aligned with the grooves of an adjacent lamina, form preferably circular bores for the reception of felting needles.  The bores are distributed over the board in a predetermined needle pattern.  The laminae may be provided with projections or dowels to assist the alignment of the grooves, and the laminated structure is formed between pairs of end and side sections which are clamped or screwed together, Fig. 3 (not shown). The needles, which are positioned in the grooves during the assembly of the laminated structure, may have bent end portions engaging the upper surface of the board, or may have bead-like projections engaging complementary recesses in the grooves, Figs. 4 and 5 (not shown). The grooves may advantageously be disposed at an angle to the plane of the board.  To assist in the retention of the needles in the grooves during assembly, the laminae may consist of magnetically active material.

K. ASTOR March 21, 1967 NEEDLE BOARD FOR FELTING LOOMS AND THE LIKE Filed April 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KURT 14570.

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ATTORNEY K. ASTOR March 21, 1967 NEEDLE BOARD FOR FELTING LOOMS AND THE LIKE Filed April 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTOR M? 7 1% 70K ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,309,753 NEEDLE BOARD FOR FELTING LOOMS AND T IE LUKE Kurt Astor, Lambreeht, Pfalz, Germany, assignor to J. J. Marx, Lamhrecht, Pfalz, Germany, a firm of Germany Filed Apr. 14, 1965, Ser. No. 448,137 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 15, 1964,

11 Claims. (Cl. 284) The present invention relates to needle punching apparatus for use in felting looms or machines, more particularly to a novel and improved needle board supporting the barbed or hooked reciprocating felting needles of machines of this type.

Needle felting machines are well known in the art. Their purpose and function is to strengthen or consolidate a fibrous fleece or web produced by a carding machine by a process commonly known as needling. The latter consists essentially in the mutual interlocking or close entanglement of the various fibers of a fleece by subjecting the same to the action of a gang of hooked or barbed reciprocating needles arranged in close juxtaposed position in accordance with a predetermined needle pattern, whereby to mechanically lock the relatively loose fibers of the fieece and to thereby form an integrated homogeneous body or web, in a manner well known and understood by those skilled in the art.

Needle punching machines, aside from treating single webs or bats of material, may also be used for the treatment of superposed multiple layers, including both webs or fieecy fibers and layers of fabric or the like reinforcing or pile-forming material.

In the known needle felting machines, the needles are ordinarily mounted in a wooden support or board provided with a multiplicity of bores or mounting holes which are relatively arranged or distributed in accordance with a desired needle pattern. Such conventional needle boards are designed for the reception of from 100-150 needles per dimf depending upon the type of fibrous fleece to be treated or the final results desired, respectively. The needle boards are supplied ordinarily to the users of needle felting machines or looms fitted with the necessary mounting holes for the needles, yet without the latter, whereby to make it necessary for a final user of the boards to mount or drive the needles individually into the holes of the boards until the right angular end portions of the needles of conventional design abut against the upper edge or surface of the boards.

While the insertion or mounting per se of the needles, one at a time, is both laborious and time consuming, a further difiiculty consists therein that the needles, being fitted in a known manner with hooks or barbs, are subject to relatively rapid wear or deterioration, especially in the treatment or felting of synthetic fibers, whereby to make it necessary to frequently exchange or renew the worn or broken needles. For this purpose, the needle board containing the worn or broken needles must be sent to the repair shop where each individual needle has to be removed or knocked out manually with the aid of suitable tools grasping the bent inner ends of the needles. Experience has shown that the removal of each 1000 needles requires about 1 /2 to 2 hours of labor. Subsequently, the re-fitting or assembly of the boards with new needles is required in the same manner as for the original mounting of the needles.

The proposal to fabricate completely equipped and expendable needle boards, or boards intended for a single use only, would not fully avoid the previous difficulties, since the boards consist ordinarily of carefully selected and rather expensive plywood, to prevent warping and other distortion aflecting the dimensional stability of the 3,309,753 Patented Mar. 21, 1967 boards and to, in turn, ensure the requisite accuracy in the stability or maintenance of the position of the holes or bores in the boards in which the needles are mounted. Besides, there exists a great variety of types of felting needles used by different manufacturers in various combinations in the fitting of the needle boards, aside from the fact that the known needle boards are rather expensive and cannot be fabricated at substantially reduced cost for the further reason that the holes, both as to their positions in the boards and as regards theid diameter, must be drilled to extremely close tolerances and precise specifications.

Besides, the provisions of completely pre-fabricated needle boards of the type referred to is practically unfeasible for the reason that most of the known needle felting machines are still in a state of development and supplied by a relatively limited number of manufacturers only and, furthermore, that the machines vary substantially in design and dimensions (width and depth of the needle patterns, etc.). Moreover, the various types of machines vary substantially as regards the operating stroke of the boards or needles, requiring in turn corresponding changes or adaptation .of the boards for different machines.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved needle board construction for felting looms of the referred to type which is devoid of the previous difiiculties and drawbacks and by which the mounting or replacement of the needles is greatly simplified and expedited.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved needle board of the referred to type which can be disassembled and reassembled readily and expeditiously for the replacement of Worn or broken needles, substantially without requiring any special tools or mounting implements.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a needle board for felting machines of the referred to type constructed for the ready exchange or replacement of one or more defective needles efficiently and within a minimum time required.

The invention, both as to the foregoing and ancillary objects, as will appear as the description proceeds, as well as novel aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-section front view of a needle felting machine forming the basis of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the machine shown by FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, shown in upside down position and partly broken away, of the improved needle board construction according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial and enlarged sectional view of FIG. 3, shown in right side up position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing a modifica tion of the needle mount according to the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a simple method of supplying a plurality of needles for simultaneous mounting in a board according to the invention.

Like reference numerals denote like parts in the different views of the drawings.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention involves generally the provision of a needle carrier or board of the referred to type being constituted by a multiplicity of strip-like laminae of wood, metal or any other suitable material and arranged in juxtaposed relation, to provide a board-like structure having a thickness equal to the width of said laminae. The latter are provided upon their sides with a plurality of superificial and transverse,

preferably semicircular, grooves or recesses having a diameter equal to the diameter of the needles to be mounted in the board, said grooves arranged to cause the grooves of adjoining laminae of the structure to register and to form bores or mounting holes in the board in the assembled position, said holes being distributed over the area of the boards in accordance with a desired needle pattern. The needles are inserted or mounted in the grooves during the assembly of the laminae and may be removed simply upon loosening or disassembly without any special tools, or drive-in and knock-out operations, whereby to both simplify the initial assembly of the boards as well as the making of repairs or replacement of used or damaged needles, in a manner as will become further apparent as the description proceeds in reference to the drawings.

The laminae forming the needle board which advantageously extend in the longitudinal direction of the board, or at right angle to the feeding direction of the web of material to be treated, may be held in a suitable mounting frame or support comprised of side and end pieces or members. If desirable, suitable guide strips may be provided upon the upper surface of the board, to align and secure the laminae in the frame. Alternatively, the individual laminae may be fitted with lateral projections or dowels adapted to engage corresponding recesses in the adjoining laminae of the assembled board structure, to facilitate the positioning and alignment of the grooves forming the needle mounting holes or bores.

Positioning or alignment of the laminae may be furthermore effected by the use of specially constructed needles, to dispense with any special aligning means. As an example, the needles may be provided at an intermediate point thereof with suitable preferably circular extensions or beads adapted to engage corresponding lateral recesses in the grooves or mounting holes of the laminae. In this manner, the needles are additionally secured against longitudinal displacement in either direction in the assembled position of the board structure.

From the foregoing it follows that the mounting and removal of the needles is greatly simplified by simply disassembling the compact board structure, or loosening or disconnecting of the mounting or supporting frame, Whereby the needles spontaneously drop out of the grooves due to gravity and new needles may be readily inserted, substantially without requiring the use of special tools or mounting implements.

The invention has the further advantage that the needle board may be adapted in a most simple manner, or by the proper distribution of the grooves, to provide a desired needle pattern, to suit any existing conditions or requirements. As an example, the width of the boards may be varied by the addition or removal of a desired number of laminae, in a manner readily understood.

While, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the laminae extend in the feeding direction of the web or material, it is by no means impossible to utilize a lamination being at an angle, including a right angle, with the feeding direction.

The subdivision of the needle board into a multiplicity of elements or laminae makes it possible to furthermore facilitate and expedite the insertion or mounting of the needles. For this purpose and in accordance with an improved feature of the invention, an array of needles may be supplied by the manufacturer with the needles mounted at the proper spacing distance upon a support or strip of paper, textile, plastic, etc., in such a manner as to enable the positioning of the entire array of needles in the respective grooves of the laminae, whereupon the supporting strips are removed from the mounted needles upon application of the next following lamina in the course of a needle board assembly operation.

In order to still further facilitate the assembly of the boards, the needles may be fixed or held in the respective grooves by magnetic attraction, such as by the use of metallic or other pre-magnetized laminae, or by the use of a special magnetizing member placed in the vicinity of the laminae during the assembly operations.

In order to divest the array of needles of their supports in the case of needle boards of relatively great length and to avoid interference with the needles, such as bending or distortion, a comb-shaped implement may be used having prongs engaging the interstices between the needles during the removal or stripping operation.

While the mounting holes or grooves ordinarily are at right angle to the plane of the board, they may include acute angles with the board for the production of special effects and advantages in accordance with known fabric needling or felting practices.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown schematically a conventional needle felting machine or loom comprising a frame 1 in which is mounted the web feeding mechanism including, in the example shown, a first conveyer band 2 having feed rollers 4 and 4, the latter being supported by a further frame 3 and said band serving to feed the web or bat of fleecy material from a carding machine (not shown) or supply roll to the needling loom. Conveyer 2 cooperates with a further conveyer band 5 having guide rollers 6 and 7 and serving to feed the material to be treated to the working table or platform 8 of the machine proper.

Disposed above the table 8 is the needle punching mechanism which includes the needle board or boards forming the subject of the present invention. The punching mechanism comprises, in the example shown, a pair of vertical connecting rods 9 supporting a frame or support it at their lower ends in which are mounted one or more needle boards 11, such as by sliding the boards into suitable lateral guides of said frame.

Each needle board 11 is fitted with a gang of needles 12 which pass through corresponding holes in the plate or table 8. Up and down movement of the rods 9 and, in turn, of the boards 11 may be effected by the provision of suitable operating means or mechanism, such as for instance in the form of one or more eccentrics 13 driven by an electric motor 14 and linkage mechanism, including a pair of return springs 15, operably connecting said eccentrics with the rods 9, to convert motion of the motor 14 into reciprocating motion of said rods and, in turn of the needles 12.

The function and operation of such a felting or needling machine is such that the work in the form of a fleecy web or bat is fed, in step-by-step operation and by way of the conveyers 2 and 5, to the working table 8. While the work is stationary, the frame 10 together with the needle board or boards 11 descends, whereby the needles 12 penetrate into and subsequently recede from the material, to thereby strengthen or consolidate the web by the needling action and to supply a mechanically interlocked fibrous web or structure by the conveyer 5.

Referring to the improved construction of the needle board 11 forming the subject of the present invention, the latter comprises a mounting frame composed, in the example shown, of pairs of side and end sections or members 16 and 17, respectively, FIG. 3. The frame members may be made of wood, especially if the needle board also consists of wood, and are held together by means of screws 18 or by means of any other suitable securing or clamping means, to firmly hold or mount the laminated structure or needle board proper composed of juxtaposed strip-like laminae 19 and having a thickness equal to the width of said laminae.

The individual laminae 19 are provided upon their sides 20 with transverse groove-like recesses 21 which in the preferred embodiment are of semi-circular shape, having a diameter equal to the diameter of the needles to be mounted. The grooves 21 of adjoining laminae 19 in the assembled structure are in register in the aligned position of the laminae, whereby to provide a multiplicity of transverse bores or mounting holes 21' for the reception of the needles 23, said holes being distributed over the area of the board in accordance with the desired needle pattern. In order to assist in the proper relative alignment of the laminae 19, the latter are furthermore fitted, in the example shown, with suitable spaced projections or dowels 22 adapted to engage corresponding recesses in the adjoining laminae, in the manner shown and understood from the drawing. In this manner and, if desirable, by the provision of further cross or bracing members dis posed upon the upper face of the board and engaging suitable recesses in the frame members 16 or 17, the laminae 19 are firmly positioned or retained, whereby to provide a compact and stable needle board structure.

The assembly of the needle board according to the invention and mounting of the needles may be effected simply by stacking the strips or laminae 19 by the aid of a suitable jig or assembly fixture and placing the needles in the grooves 21, while progressing from one to the next lamina, in such a manner that the bent end portions 24 of the needles, FIG. 4, engage the upper face of the board in the assembled position.

In order to simplify and expedite the insertion of the needles 23, the latter may be supplied by the manufacturer in pre-assembled condition in the manner shown in FIG. 6. More specifically, a plurality or array of needles 23 are mounted at the proper spacing distance upon a strip or support 25 of paper, felt, or the like material, to enable ready insertion of the entire array of needles in the grooves 21 of the laminae 19 during the assembly of the needle board in the manner described. In other words, a lamina may be fitted with needles in single mounting operation. The strips or supports 25, being provided with bulges or folds 26 for the mounting of the needles at points below the board 11, are simply removed after application of the next following lamina 19, by stripping from the mounted needles in the course of a needle mounting operation.

In order to further facilitate the mounting of the needles, it is possible to utilize a magnetic field, to retain the needles in the grooves during the mounting operation. This aim may be achieved simply, where the laminae consists of magnetic material, by magnetizing the same permanently or temporarily. Where the laminae consists of non-magnetic material (wood, plastic, etc.), a magnetizing member may be applied having the same size and recesses as the laminae.

The needles 23 are provided in a known manner with hooks or banbs being oriented in such a manner, as shown in the drawing, that the needles during their entry into the fibrous fleece or web grasp and pull the fibers through the web, but will encounter only slight resistance in the opposite direction during the withdrawal from said web. Nevertheless, it is necessary to so mount the needles in the board 11 as to be secure against longitudinal movement or displacement during operation. During the entry into the web the needles may be simply secured by an abutment in the form of a plate or the like overlying the board 11, while during withdrawal the needles may be secured by the conventional bent end portions 24 which may be replaced by suitably headed or upset ends of the needle.

An especially advantageous construction of the needles forum in connection with the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. According to this modification, the needles 23 are provided, at an intermediate point and within their range embedded in the board 11, with bead-like lateral extensions 27 adapted to engage corresponding lateral such as annular-shaped recesses in the grooves 19, or holes formed thereby in the assembled position of the boards. In this case, the beads or extensions 27, besides securing the needles longitudinally, furthermore serve as aligning means of adjacent laminae 19, either singly or in combination with the dowel or the like 22. 7

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the invention results in substantial simplification and saving of operating time in the removal and replacement of the pins, both for efiecting a re-assembly of a board or for exchanging defective or worn needles, respectively. While with the known needle board constructions the worn or damaged needles have to be forcefully removed, one at a time, by pulling or knocking out the needles from the boards, all that is required in using the present invention is the loosening of the laminae, to cause the needles to drop out spontaneously, without the aid of any special tools or implements. As an example, While with the known boards a complete needle exchange may require from 3 to 3 /2 hours, the same result may be achieved by use of the present invention in A to /2 hour.

In the foregoing the invention has been described in reference to a specific illustrative device or construction. It will be evident, however, that variations and modifications, as well as the substitution of equivalent parts or elements for those shown herein for illustration, may be made without departing from the broader scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are accordingly to he regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.

I claim:

1. A needle board for felting looms and the like comprising in combination:

(1) a laminated structure composed of a multiplicity of juxtaposed strip-like laminae arranged with the width thereof determining the thickness of said board,

(2) a mounting frame supporting said structure,

(3) means removably securing said frame to said structure, to firmly hold said laminae together, to form a compact needle board,

(4) each of said laminae being provided with a plurality of superficial transverse grooves with the grooves of adjoining laminae of said structure being aligned to form mounting holes through said board distributed over the area of said board according to a predetermined needle pattern, and

(5) a plurality of felting needles mounted in said holes.

2. In a needle board as claimed in claim 1, said grooves having a semicircular cross-section of a diameter equal to the diameter of the needles to be mounted, to provide circular mounting holes for the mounting therein of the needles in pressfit engagement.

3. In a needle board as claimed in claim 1, including positioning means upon said laminae to align the adjoining grooves thereof.

4. In a needle board as claimed in claim 3, said positioning means consisting of a plurality of dowels projecting from one lamina and adapted to engage recesses in the adjoining lamina of the assembled board structure.

5. In a needle board as claimed in claim 1, said needles having bent end portions engaging the upper surface of said board structure in the assembled position.

6. In a needle board as claimed in claim 1, said needles being provided with lateral extensions at an intermediate point thereof adapted to engage lateral recesses of said holes in the assembled board structure.

7. In a needle board as claimed in claim 6, said extensions having the form of circular beads engaging ringshape-d recesses of said holes.

8. In a needle board as claimed in claim 1, said laminae consisting of magnetically active material, to retain the needles positioned in the grooves during the assembly of said structure.

9. A needle board for felting looms and the like comprising in combination:

(l) a multiplicity of strip-like laminae arranged in juxtaposed relation, to provide a compact board-like structure having a thickness equal to the Width of said laminae,

(2) a rectangular mounting frame composed of side and end sections enclosing said structure,

(3) releasable securing means connecting said frame sections, to firmly mount said structure,

(4) said laminae being provided upon their sides with having a semi-circular cross-section of a diameter equal a plurality of superficial transverse grooves, to the diameter of the needles to be mounted in said holes. (5) aligning means to relatively locate adjoining laminae of said structure, whereby to cause the adjoin- References Cited y the Examiner ing grooves thereof to register and to provide a cor- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS responding number of needle mounting holes in said structure distributed over its area in accordance with 2663O65 12/1953 Dmham 284 2,845,687 8/1958 Howard 284 a predetermlned pattern, and 2 896 303 7/1959 M0 284 (6) a plurality of felting needles mounted in said holes 3122815 3/1964 S in pressfit engagement therewith. 1 m1 10. A needle board as claimed in claim 9, including MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner further means to secure said needles against lengthwise displacement. L. K. RIMRODT, Assistant Examiner.

11. A needle board as claimed in claim 9, said grooves 

1. A NEEDLE BOARD FOR FELTING LOOMS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (1) A LAMINATED STRUCTURE COMPOSED OF A MULTIPLICITY OF JUXTAPOSED STRIP-LIKE LAMINAE ARRANGED WITH THE WIDTH THEREOF DETERMINING THE THICKNESS OF SAID BOARD, (2) A MOUNTING FRAME SUPPORTING SAID STRUCTURE, (3) MEANS REMOVABLY SECURING SAID FRAME TO SAID STRUCTURE, TO FIRMLY HOLD SAID LAMINAE TOGETHER, TO FORM A COMPACT NEEDLE BOARD, (4) EACH F SAID LAMINAE BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SUPERFICIAL TRANSVERSE GROOVES WITH THE GROOVES OF ADJOINING LAMINAE OF SAID STRUCTURE BEING 